Hello and welcome to the website. This site is CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION.

I’m Corey McDaniel, a theatre professional, nonprofit strategist, and arts leader with a track record of creating and sustaining vibrant artistic organizations. I bring decades of creative, administrative, and fundraising experience to every project I take on.

Acting was my first true love, though I began on an unexpected path as a dancer with the Lone Star Ballet in Texas. That early training gave me discipline and stage presence, but acting quickly became my artistic home. My work as an actor has taken me across the United States and internationally, from the Fox Theatres and Hollywood Bowl to Theatro Sistina in Rome and the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Over time I developed the skills of directing and producing, and it was directing that ultimately became the passion fueling my career forward. Alongside my artistic work, I discovered a deep commitment to nonprofit advancement, combining my creative background with building and sustaining arts organizations.

I founded Theatre22 in Seattle and served as Executive and Producing Artistic Director throughout its ten year run, guiding both creative vision and institutional growth. As a director I have staged productions across Southern California, Japan, and the Puget Sound region. Some recent credits include Falsettos and Baskerville at Harlequin Productions, The Merry Wives of Windsor with Seattle Shakespeare Company, and Nonsense and Beauty with Theatre22. I have also worked as a teaching artist, on set acting coach, director, and assistant choreographer for youth and professional programs, including seven years with Children’s Theatre Experience in Southern California, and helped create professional training programs in Hollywood at The Actors Spot and Warner Laughlin Studios as a staff instructor and advisor.

Beyond the stage, I have dedicated my skills to strengthening arts and culture nonprofits across Washington State. I served as Director of Development at Harlequin Productions in Olympia and Director of Philanthropy at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts in Leavenworth. Today I am proud to serve the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle, where I combine my passion for community, education, and heritage with hands on nonprofit leadership. At the Center for Wooden Boats, a vibrant living museum of maritime heritage, we believe history comes alive when people sail, build, and explore. The mission is rooted in making traditional boatcraft accessible to all through educational programming, community outreach, and opportunities for people of all ages to engage directly with wooden boats on the water. In my role I help connect that mission to sustaining support, strategic partnerships, and community visibility so that the Center for Wooden Boats can continue transforming how people experience maritime heritage.

Whether directing a play or designing a fundraising campaign, I am guided by the same purpose: to build institutions that honor artistry, expand community access, and leave a lasting legacy in the arts.